Ballon D'or: 15 Players with Most Nominations Including Drogba, Messi, Ronaldo

• The 2022 Ballon d’Or nominees were announced on Friday, August 12 and Lionel Messi was a notable absentee
• Ronaldo, 37, made the list as Neymar also missed out
• It was the first time in more than a decade that Messi was not on the shortlist
• Messi is among the elite list of players with most Ballon d’Or nominations in history alongside Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is ahead of everyone else in a unique list as he is the player with the most nominations in the Ballon d’Or through the years.

The Portuguese star, despite being in his twilight years, was yet again among the 30-man shortlist for the 2022 Ballon d’Or thanks to his brilliance for Manchester United in the 2021/22 campaign.

Ronaldo became the leading marksman in international football history last season, and he was integral for Manchester United in one of the club’s worst ever seasons in English top flight.

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While it may look a bit controversial to have the 37-year-old in the 30-man shortlist, his 32 goals in 49 matches certainly makes a strong case for him.

His latest nomination means he has made the 30-man shortlist in every season since 2004; 19 years in a row.

One notable absentee was Lionel Messi, who for the first time since 2005, did not make the list which comprised the likes of Karim Benzema, Kylian Mbappe and Kevin de Bruyne.

Messi comes a close second to Ronaldo in the list of most nominations for the coveted individual award.

The top 15 most nominated players is as follows:

15. Zinedine Zidane – 8

14. Iker Casillas – 8

13. Didier Drogba – 8

12. Wayne Rooney – 8

11. Samuel Eto’o – 9

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10. Thierry Henry – 9

9. Neymar – 9

8. Gianluigi Buffon – 11

7. Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 11

6. Karim Benzema – 12

5. Franz Beckenbauer – 12

4. Johan Cruyff – 12

3. Paolo Maldini – 13

2. Lionel Messi – 15

1. Cristiano Ronaldo – 19

For the 2022 edition, Karim Benzema is a heavy favorite to win the award as the Frenchman has been crucial for his side last season as Real Madrid stormed to La Liga and Champions League success.

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Meanwhile, the final contenders for the most prestigious individual accolade in the game have been revealed by France magazine

The nominees for the top award were announced on August 12, with Europe's best player set to be crowned at an official presentation ceremony on October 17.

Interestingly, players like Toni Kroos and David Alaba, despite playing key roles last season were absent from list of 30 Ballon d'Or nominees.